BLACKSBURG, VA – The No. 11 Virginia Tech wrestling team (3-2, 0-0 ACC) will hit the road once again to face another top-five opponent and look to get back on the win column as they face No. 5 Cornell (3-2, 0-0) on Sunday in Ithaca, NY at 3 p.m. EST streaming on ESPN Plus. The Hokies face their fourth top-10 opponent of the season in a dual that features 18 ranked wrestlers between both squads. Newman Arena at Bartles Hall is set to be electric as the two programs will look to get back in the win column after dropping their most recent duals.
Tech Last Time Out
- Tech dropped a tightly contest dual to No. 2 Missouri, 22-17, on January 2 to start the new year
- Redshirt sophomore Cooper Flynn doubled down on his dual performance on the season with an upset win over previously unbeaten No. 2 Noah Surtin, 10-3, for his second top-5 victory of the season at 125-pounds
- Making his debut at 141-pounds after beginning the season at 149-pounds and in redshirt was sophomore Tom Crook. Coming off a third-place finish and knocking off two ranked wresters at Midlands Championships, Crook defeated No. 19 Josh Edmond, 9-8, in Columbia, MO in his return to his 2023 NCAA qualifying weight
- The most entertaining wrestler in the country rebounded after suffering a loss against Stanford with an electric performance against No. 5 and previously unbeaten two-time NCAA All-American Brock Mauller in a shoot-out 13-10
- Also notching on victories for the Hokies were Mekhi Lewis with a dominant 15-0 tech fall and Caleb Henson with a gritty 6-4 victory
Hokies In The Rankings
- Tech enters the dual ranked No. 11 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association polls
- The Hokies feature ten ranked wrestlers in the latest Intermat rankings led by No. 2 Caleb Henson (149-pounds) and No. 2 Mekhi Lewis (174-pounds). Also finding themselves in the top-10 for Tech are No. 8 Bryce Andonian (157-pounds) and No. 9 Cooper Flynn (125-pounds).
- Rounding out the six remaining ranked Hokies are No. 12 Sam Latona (133-pounds), No. 18 Cody Howard (184-pounds), No. 20 Hunter Catka (285-pounds), No. 23 Connor Brady (165-pounds), and No. 26 Andy Smith (197-pounds)
Scouting the Big Red
- Cornell features eight ranked wrestlers ahead of Sunday's dual, led by No. 3 Julian Ramirez at 165-pounds
- The Big Red also feature three All-Americans including No. 2 and defending 133-pound national champion Vito Arujau. Cornell's other two All-Americans also ranked in the top- 10 – No. 7 Jacob Cardenas (197-pounds) and No. 8 Chris Foca (184-pounds)
- Cornell has seven NCAA qualifiers including No. 12 Brett Unger (125-pounds), Arujau, No. 17 Vince Cornella (141-pounds), Ramirez, Foca, Cardenas, and No. 19 Lewis Fernandes (285-pounds).
All-Time vs Cornell
- The Hokies are 1-6 all-time against Cornell, with the Hokies last winning 23-9 in 2020 in Ithaca
- In the last meeting, the Hokies dropped to Cornell the last time out, 12-22 in Blacksburg on January 6, 2023 in a dual that featured Latona handing Arujau his only loss of the season
No. 11 Virginia Tech at No. 5 Cornell
3 p.m. EST; January 7, 2023; ESPN Plus
Newman Arena at Bartles Hall – Ithaca, NY
Potential Starting Lineup
125 – No. 9 Cooper Flynn vs No. 12 Brett Unger (Cornell)
133 – No. 12 Sam Latona vs Ethan Qureshi (Cornell)
141 – No. 18 Tom Crook vs No. 17 Vince Corella (Cornell)
149 – No. 2 Caleb Henson vs No. 24 Ethan Fernandez (Cornell)
157 – No. 8 Bryce Andonian vs No. 15 Meyer Shapiro (Cornell)
165 – No. 23 Connor Brady vs No. 3 Julian Ramirez (Cornell)
174 – No. 2 Mekhi Lewis vs Benny Baker (Cornell)
184 – No. 18 Cody Howard OR Sam Fisher vs No. 8 Chris Foca (Cornell)
197 – No. 26 Andy Smith OR Sonny Sasso vs No. 7 Jacob Cardenas (Cornell)
285 – No. 20 Hunter Catka OR Jimmy Mullen vs No. 19 Lewis Fernandes (Cornell)